Malaysians having fewer children

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians are having fewer children — from an average of three children a family in 2000 to 2.2 children in 2010.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, in making public the National Census Report 2010 here yesterday, said the birth rate trend had been on the decline since 2000.

He said economic reasons, women getting married late, and education and career were among the factors leading to the declining birth rate.

“If you look at the figures, an average of 2.2 children a family means we are producing replacement members of society,” he said.

“The government is not worried about this though as 67.5 per cent of Malaysians are within the productive age of between 15 and 64 years old.

“We estimate Malaysia will have its maximum population of 57 million by 2090. The reason for the decline is probably due to women having the option of choosing how many children they want to have and also technology and contraceptives to ensure they achieve their target.”

On top of that, the present marrying age for women is 26 compared to 23 in 2000, making it another contributing factor to the fall in the birth rate.

Nor Mohamed said the ethnic breakdown by the Statistics Department showed bumiputras having 2.6 children in 2010 compared with 3.5 in 2000, Chinese 1.5 (2.6 in 2000) and Indians 1.7 (2.5 in 2000).

“There were 475,816 babies born last year, compared with 549,543 in 2000,” he said.

Meanwhile, Federation of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia (FRHAM) family planning and reproductive officer Kalpana Devi said one of the reasons for the decline was that couples were marrying at an older age.

‘Economic factors favour smaller families’

“When a couple opts for marriage at a later age, the reproductive system will be aff ected,” she said.

“Also, due to age and fertility problems caused by our present lifestyle, it might be difficult to conceive. The delay in marriage also leads to delay in conception and giving birth.

“People are also more career-oriented and education-centric. Malaysians are no longer as family-oriented as they were.

“Due to economic factors, some young families believe small families are easier to manage.

“Many young adults want to provide the best for their children and the best is not cheap.”

Asked how this declining trend would aff ect the nation in the long run, Kalpana said if it continued, it could lead to a decline in human capital.

“There is a possibility we might come to a point where the country is going to be run by an aged society in the absence of new human resources. We need a succession plan,” she said.

Chinese women enjoying longer lives

National Census Report 2010 shows they have a present average lifespan of around 79.8 years

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ON average, Chinese women in Malaysia have the longer lifespan compared to the other two major ethnicities in the country with a present average lifespan of around 79.8 years compared to the year 2000 when their average lifespan was around 77.6 years.

The National Census Report 2010 made public by Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (pic) yesterday also pointed out that Malaysians on average are living longer compared to 10 years ago due to better healthcare.

“The average lifespan for Malaysian men in 2000 was 70 years. Now they live for an average of up to 71.9 years. Women now live up to 77 compared to 74.7 in 2000.

“Chinese women seem to live the longest with an average lifespan of 79.8 years. I think we need to find out what sort of lifestyle they lead that allow them to live to such an age. Chinese men, on the other hand, lived up to 74.4 years in 2010 compared to 72.4 years in 2000,” said Nor Mohamed.

Bumiputra men on an average lived up to 70.5 years in 2010 compared to 72.4 years in 2000 and Bumiputra women’s lifespan went up to 75.3 years last year compared to 73.3 in 2000.

The shortest lifespan amongst the three ethnicities are the Indians with their men living up to 68 years as of last year against 65.7 years in 2000. Indian women enjoy a longer lifespan going up till 76.2 years as of last year against 73.5 years in 2000.